Heron Island is a unique resort. Located at the heart of the Capricorn Cays National park the only way to get to the island is by boat or by helicopter (both serviced from Gladstone, Queensland). The website www.HeronIsland.com gives a pretty good impression of the island, a tropical cay (well almost as you are less than a mile from the Tropic of Capricorn), with white coral sand beaches, protected by its own reef system.

The surprise (not in the least because of the night time noise - quite relaxing in a funny way) is that you'll be sharing your accommodation with colonies of Mutton Birds (Shearwaters), Noddy Terns, Buffbanded Rails and the occasional Brown Booby and Sea Eagle. The island is also a seasonal nesting site for Green and Loggerhead turtles.

The island resort is run by Voyages (part of P&O) and provides a number of grades of accommodation, all without TV, phones and air conditioning (but with cooling sea breezes and ceiling fans the rooms are quite comfortable)!! In addition they have their own dive centre with friendly staff and a good level of equipment. There are a number of well equipped, fast dive boats for local trips to the outer edges of the island's reefs, usually 15 - 20 minutes boat ride away. With further 'adventure trips' available to more remote dive locations.

As part of a group of islands forming a part of the southern reaches of the Great Barrier Reef, the dive sites can be affected by tides and weather. As the reef forms the outer rim of the islands sandy reef plate, tidal and wind conditions can result in poorer visibility than you might expect for the Great Barrier Reef. The advantage is, because of the resort's remoteness, ecological sensitivities and being part of the University of Queensland's research facilities, the reefs are pristine and marine life diverse and abundant. White tip reef sharks and turtles are common place as well as frequent pelagic visitors (Manta Rays, Bronze Whalers to name but a few).

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